About this course

This course is free because of the generosity of our Vision Partners.

St. Augustine said in the 5th century AD, “The cross has been transferred from the place of execution to the foreheads of Emperors.” In other words, the instrument of Jesus’ crucifixion in AD 33 began being used to bless Roman emperors (crossing their foreheads at baptism), beginning with Constantine in AD 337. The mighty Roman Empire had been subdued by the Christians within 300 years of Jesus’ death. How did they do it? To put it briefly, the Christians outlived, out died, and out thought all other ideologies, philosophies, and religious groups in the empire. In this course, we will follow the early Christians from the fisherman Peter and the Pharisee Paul to the conversion of Constantine the Great, learning the early Christians’ evangelistic methods, church and household practices, distinctive morality, apologetic arguments, and theological development. As Tertullian quoted the pagans saying about the Christians, “See how they love one another!” In this course, you will see how the early Christians loved, thought, and died for Jesus Christ. Above all, you will learn why “Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not.”
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Course objectives

In this course, we'll focus on:

  • How Christ providentially guided His Church from Pentecost in AD 33 to conquering Mighty Rome in the Fourth century AD and the five different times during this period where Christianity almost/could have died, but instead rose again.

  • The key intellectual and spiritual Fathers of this period: Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Lactantius, and many others.

  • The most important events of this period such as: Nero’s persecution of Christians, the destruction of the temple in AD 70, the empire wide Christian persecution of emperors Decius and Diocletian, and Constantine’s conversion, Edict, and Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

  • The key distinctive characteristics of the Christians in the Roman Empire. What made them different from the Jews, Greeks, and Romans surrounding them?

Course outline

    1. About this course

    2. What you will learn

    3. What you need

    4. Instructor

    5. Pre-work note

    1. Pre-work 01

    2. Session 01

    3. Quiz 01

    1. Pre-work 02

    2. Session 02

    3. Quiz 02

    1. Pre-work 03

    2. Session 03

    3. Quiz 03

    1. Pre-work 04

    2. Session 04

    3. Quiz 04

    4. Discussion 04

    1. Pre-work 05

    2. Session 05

    3. Quiz 05

    4. Discussion 05

Early Church History: From Christ to Constantine (AD 33-325)

  • Free
  • 6.5 hours of video content
  • 12 Modules

Additional course details:

  • Difficulty level: 4

    The learning difficulty for this course is 4 out of 5. It is recommended for advanced students and above.

  • Unlimited access

    You receive unlimited access to the course once you enroll.

  • Certificate of completion

    You automatically receive a certificate of completion once you finish the course.

Instructor

Dr. Justin W. Bass

Justin W. Bass has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary in New Testament Studies. He has formally debated Dr. Bart Ehrman, Dr. Richard Carrier, Dan Barker and Mufti Hussain Kamani. Dr. Bass’ latest book The Bedrock of Christianity: The Unalterable Facts of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection was released April 8, 2020. He has also written The Battle for the Keys: Revelation 1:18 and Christ’s Descent into the Underworld. He is currently teaching at Dallas Christian College and teaching courses online at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Jordan and Asian Christian Academy in India. When he is not working, he is reading, watching movies (usually The Lord of the Rings), and spending time with his high school sweetheart Allison Bass and their three children.

Certificate program

Earn credit towards the Certificate of Biblical Doctrine when you complete this course.

View certificate program